Two Women Shaking Up The Food And Beverage Industry

Photos courtesy of Just BE Kitchen | Cravable dishes from Just BE Kitchen use local allergy-free ingredients

If you’ve ever tried to find a good-tasting gluten-free entrée or beer, it’s not always an easy task. “Cardboard,” “tasteless” and “bland” are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind. But two women who saw an opportunity to grow and enhance the gluten-free market are taking the world by storm.

Jennifer Peters, founder and CEO of Just BE Kitchen restaurants, and Karen Hertz of Holidaily Brewing Company share their thoughts on breaking the mold.

JUST BE KITCHEN

Born and raised in Orlando, Fla., Peters spent most of her professional career climbing the corporate ladder in various tech and professional firms as a head of marketing and a director/partner of a market research firm. Outside of work, Peters was a competitive athlete who was fanatic about nutrition for high performance.

To enhance her training, Peters saw a nutritionist who taught her the importance of an anti-inflammatory diet and the deep impact that food has on athletic performance. She became obsessed with whole-foods eating—but when it came to eating out, she found the options lackluster and bland. She felt there was a gap in the market for fast, more affordable foods that were also nutritious.

With this in mind, Peters went back to school and earned an MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. During a class project, she started working on what would later become Just BE Kitchen. “My professor loved the idea and introduced me to the former CEO of Burger King, who became a mentor and helped get the initial makings of Just BE off the ground,” says Peters.

In contrast to the many restaurants that offer a few allergen-free menu items, Peters wanted to create a menu beyond salads, acai bowls and large portion protein options. Her menu is free of gluten, refined sugars, soy, corn, peanuts and seed oils. However, it is full of ooey, gooey, craveable, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meals that just so happen to be anti-inflammatory and allergen-free.

Because Colorado is a mecca for health nuts with uber-active lifestyles, Peters set her sights on the Centennial State to open the first Just BE Kitchen. “Since I was new to the restaurant scene, I had a ton of pushback from banks and landlords. In fact, I was denied by more than 50 possible landlords, and even denied bank loans because I wasn’t married, and was told it was just too risky,” shares Peters.

Peters decided to test her kitchen-made products at local farmers markets and gyms. “The response I got was super positive, which gave me the confidence to really push for what I wanted and find a landlord willing to rent to me.” She opened her first restaurant in 2017 in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood, followed by a second in the Denver Tech Center in 2022 and a third in Boulder in 2023.

Just BE Kitchen’s list of impressive superlatives includes being the first 100 percent paleo restaurant in Colorado, the first Whole30-approved restaurant in Colorado, and the only 100 percent paleo restaurant to be featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Menu items include French Toast Sliders made with almond flour and toasted coconut; the all-day Fulfilled Burrito, with Just BE Kitchen’s house-made, gluten-free tortilla, cheddar wiz and choice of chile; Food Network-featured Chicken and Dumplings; Mixed Vegetable Curry; and Shepherd’s Pie with slow-roasted brisket and sweet potato whip.

Peters is a staunch supporter of women taking the lead in the food and beverage industry. “Although leadership in the industry is very male dominated, more females are stepping into these roles, which is great because women tend to be more adaptive to the different personalities and needs of team members, and also offer excellent communication and organizational skills,” says Peters. “As more females open businesses in the industry, it may also attract more female workers to join what is a really creative, fun and fast-changing environment. Getting both masculine and feminine energy as part of the creative process is really powerful and creates great balance.”

justbekitchen.com

Photos courtesy of Holidaily Brewing Company | Holidaily Brewing Company offers a selection of stouts, ales, IPAs, blondes and Belgian wheat gluten-free beers

HOLIDAILY BREWING COMPANY

As a Colorado native, Karen Hertz knows that a cold beer goes hand-in- hand with the laid-back lifestyle of the Centennial State. Whether skiing, hiking, fly-fishing, watching the Rockies or just hanging out with friends, chances are someone is enjoying a beer from one of the 400-plus craft breweries in the state. But as Hertz knows, having a gluten allergy can hinder that Colorado pastime.

“I have always loved beer, but after being diagnosed with melanoma and thyroid cancer in my 30s, part of my treatment required a gluten-free diet, which meant no more beloved beer,” says Hertz. Sticking to her new diet was a challenge given her frequent attendance at sporting events and social gatherings, where options for quality gluten-free beer were limited.

Although other gluten-free beers were on the market, they fell short for Hertz. That was the motivation she needed to put her entrepreneurial spirit (and her MBA) to work and create a gluten-free beer that actually tasted like a delicious craft beer. “I figured there had to be others out there wanting to have a safe, delicious gluten-free beer option, so I just kept trying new recipes until I landed on one I felt would be well-received.”

Hertz founded Holidaily Brewing Company in 2016 with one taproom in Golden. She started with three beers on tap, three days a week, and expanded to 10 beers, seven days a week, by the end of her first year. Beyond the tap room, she was self-distributing out of her car to local retail accounts throughout Denver.

Having worked in the beer industry, Hertz had knowledge of the business side but knew that being a woman in a predominantly male-dominated industry could have its struggles. “I think there can be a lot of fear, self-doubt and negativity around being a female in the beer industry, but I actually chose to look at it differently. I saw it as an advantage, and still do,” states Hertz. “People remember the confident woman in the room. It leaves a lasting impression, and I love that.” Hertz also believes that when other women see a woman in leadership doing the thing they might be afraid to do, it takes away some of the doubts and fears about stepping into leadership roles.

No stranger to sweat equity and perseverance, Hertz has had many learning experiences along the way. “If you are going to be an entrepreneur in any industry, you had better get comfortable with taking risks and failing,” she says. “Not every decision we make works, but we can always adjust and redirect.” Since 2015, Holidaily has grown more than 1,121 percent, and its production brewery is the largest dedicated gluten-free brewery in the U.S.

Holidaily Brewing Company now has a second tap room at the Land-mark in Greenwood Village, in partnership with Just BE Kitchen. “They have carried our products in their Denver location for years, so when we were looking for a food partner in our DTC location, they were the first people we reached out to,” Hertz says. With a similar consumer base, it is a match made in gluten-free heaven. “Plus, we love that fact we are both women-owned businesses—it really is so empowering to be a part of that.”

Focused on growing the nine markets it distributes to (recently adding the Pacific Northwest), Holidaily Brewing Company is dedicated to providing an amazing gluten-free experience for every customer and is poised to grow with the increased demand. Says Hertz: “We have some exciting innovations coming in the next year; I cannot wait!”

holidailybrewing.com